Broadcast media can attract the consumer's attention more than other types of media, and have a larger target audience.

Television adverts can make use of colour, sound and motion (in other words, they are 'high impact'). They can reach millions of people, and can also be targeted quite well towards people who watch particular programmes. However, it is a very expensive way of advertising and the adverts are often missed or ignored.

Radio adverts are cheaper to produce and broadcast, and can still be targeted towards listeners of particular stations. However, there is a smaller audience and often do not attract attention. They are sound only, so may not be as effective.

Cinema adverts have a high impact and can be targeted towards particular films. They are unique because they are shown to an attentive audience. However, since it is usually only seen once, it is easily forgotten by the consumer.

Posters and billboards will be seen often by people in a certain geographical area. They have a high visual impact and stay in place for a long time. However, they cannot contain detailed information and have to communicate their message quickly because they are often only seen for a few seconds. And they are vulnerable to wind, rain and graffiti.

The Internet is a fairly cheap advertising media and can give good amounts of information. They can have a good visual impact, can be interactive and link directly to buying the product. However, not everyone has Internet access and since there are lots of adverts they are often simply ignored.

Sales promotion may be referred to as 'Below the line' promotion because it does not use the media, or 'Point of sale' promotion because it is used at the point of sale. Some common sales promotion methods include:

Public Relations (PR) is often free publicity. This can either be good or bad, but the outcome is the same: it helps a business get their name well known. Large companies may have a PR department, which makes sure that any new stories about the company show it in a good light. Some news events about the company may have been made up by the company themselves. These are called PR stunts. For example, in Charlie & The Chocolate Factory, Willy Wonka starts a competition for consumers to find five golden tickets hidden in his chocolate bars. Another way companies get publicity is to pay television and film companies to use the company's product in their films and TV shows. This is called product placement.